Apparatus for sterilizing fruits and vegetables and similar products



March 18 1924.

1,487,170 F. H. LANDRUM ET AL I APPARATUS FOR STERIIJZING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS Filed Feb. 21 1917 W QMW lwue-wtoz Patented ar. 18, 1924.

FRANCIS H. LANDRUM AND ALBERT N. CRAMER, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE WEDOIT COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR STERILIZING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS.-

Application filed February 21, 1917. Serial No. 149,989.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we FRANCIS H. LAN- mum and ALBERT N. ltAMER, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Sterilizing Fruits and Vegetables and Similar Products, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improved apparatus for sterilizing fruits and vegetables and similar products and is particularly directed to the provision of mechanism for treating the product in open vessels by the direct application of a sterilizing medium and the passing of such vessels, still open, through means for supplying a sterile liquid thereto and then to a means for closing such vessels with sterile closures and under sterile conditions.

Our invention contemplates a machine adapted to receive a stream of open vessels containing the product to be sterilized and operative to automatically handle and sterilize the products within such open vessels,

then passing the vessels out of such machine. It further contemplates means for taking such issuing vessels and passing them beneath nozzles for supplying a sterile liquid to such Vessels and then to adevice which sterilizes closures and applies such sterile closures to these vessels containing the sterile product and the sterile liquid.

An important feature of our invention is the covering or housing which is positioned to preclude non-sterile particles from dropping into the traveling open vessels, and which is preferably heated to present a dry surface for evaporating moisture rising from the vessels and coming from the atmosphere. e

The preferred embodiment of our inventionis shown in the accompanying drawings wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, and wherein- Figure 1 is a planview of our apparatus. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken through the apparatus for supplying the sterile liquid to the open vessels.

Figure 4 is a section similar to Figure 3 and showing a novel form of protective cov ering or housing. I

carries it.to a star wheel 11.

Figure 5 is a section similar to Figures- 3 and 4 and showing another modification.

of the protective covering or housing. In the drawings, the sterilizing machine is designated 1, the apparatus for supplying the sterile liquid 2, and the closure sterilizing and applying mechanism 3. These elements are specifically described and claimed in applications to be filed herewith.

In conjunction with these units, we utilize two endless conveyors 4 and 34 and a closer plates 7. Each closer plate 7 is raised or lowered by a piston working within a steam cylinder 8. The vessels with their upper ends open and containing the the product are fed through the passage-way 9 to the conveyor 34. A usher finger 10 of which there are a num er equally spaced upon the conveyors 4 and 34 es .control of the vessel which has been fed in and This star wheel 11 then assumes control of the vessel .and with the assistance of the vertical guide flange 12, moves such vessel into proper position upon a closer plate as at 13. These closer plates being mounted u on the turret-like member, are continually moved in a rotary path, in. the direction of the arrow in Figure 1. The means for effecting this movement will be described later. After the vessel has been delivered as at 13, it passes in the direction of the arrow in Fi ure 1 and shortly after it commences thls travel, the receiver closer supporting it is elevated to enclose the open vessel within the receiverimmediately above such closer late. Especial mechanism is preferably provided within the receiver for directly applying a sterilizing medium to the product within the open vessel. The action is 'such that the product is completely sterilized by the time it approaches the position 14 in Figure 1. At this time, the star wheel 15 co-operating with the guide flange 16 assumes control of the open vessel and passes it out upon the guideway 17, where it .is

subjected to one of the the conveyor 4.

The open vessel is then under the control of the conveyor and it is also beneath the cover plate which preferably has a vertical side wall 18 to obviate cross drafts and subjection of the interiors of the open vespusher fingers of sels to contaminating influences. This cover discharge nozzles are provided and each discharge nozzle is automatically operated by the Vessel to contribute a predeined portion of the sterile liquid to the vessel. As far as this application is concerned, how ever, the important fact is that the discharge nozzles are protected from above by a cover plate. They are also protected from the Side draft by this cover. The nozzles are desirably supplied from a peculiar construction of reservoir 21 which is provided with a cooling device 22.

The vessels, still open, and now sufliciently supplied with sterile liquid, are carried by the conveyor 4 to the apparatus 3 which moves them and their closures relatively so as to bring them into proper position and then-applies and seals suc closures, it being understood that the closures have first been sterilized by the apparatus 3. As reviously stated this ap aratus is set fort in detail in application erial No. 149,990.

The turret-like apparatus is preferably driven by a drive shaft 23 under the control of a pulley 24 and acting through the medium of a worm 25 upon a worm gear 2h.

A pump 27 is shown for supplying liquid through a special liquid steri izcr 35 to its reservoir. lit will be unders that there is also provided means for supplying a sterilizing medium to the machine 1 and for exhausting such sterilizing medium. Likewise, various mnism is provided for han g sterile liquid.

- A m 1 struc of cover-plate is illustrated in Figure 4:. In this view it will be apg that the nozzles are protected from both sides inasmuch as there is provided a supplemental side plate 28 in conjunction with an ugw i "i y inclined top plate 29 and a lower si e plate 30.

in Figure 5 is shown a still further modification wherein the whole conveyor and the nozzles are completel covered by a casin 31 having an inverted lV-shaped roof 32.

sloping roof'has certain advantages resulting from the fact that the condensation will drain away from the open vessels. In order to be efi'ectual when not heated, a sloping roof must be free of projections or knobs directly over the open vessels.

Under preferred conditions we utilize an exhaust box through which the above vessels containing the products are passed. This raises the temperature of these products preliminarily so that they are in a more rece tive condition to treatment. The vessels eave this exhaust box 33, which may be of normal form, and pass to the passage way 9.

The combination as a whole is believed to be clearly novel with us, since it is thought that no one has ever hitherto contemplated the sterilization of a product in open vessels and the passing of such product for a considerable distance, still open, but beneath a protective cover-plate which does not contact with the vessels but which precludes the falling of any contaminating particles thereinto. In addition, we apply a. sterile liquid under the protection of a cover-plate and particularly of a non-engaging cover-plate; we contemplate an application of sterile closures to vessels whose interiors and roducts have been previously sterilized. articularly is this so when it is considered that our improvement rovides a cover-plate for the machine whic sterilizes the closures and ap lies and seals them to the open vessels.

t is very important to note that we provide apparatus for adding sterile liquids to sterile solids. This is particularly true when it is considered that our apparatus automath cally handles open vessels, automaticall su plies sterile liquids thereto and automatica ly closes such vessels.

A very important aspect of our apparatus arises from the fact that it comprises not only a main sterilizing apparatus and an apparatus for preliminarily heating the product, but it provides for the passage of the vessels after closure to a retort or exhaust box 36. Under certain conditions and with certain products, it may be desirable to pass the products in open vessels through the main portion of our apparatus, this'usually requiring about ten seconds, and then to subject the closed vessels after such treatment to a short treatment in an exhaust box or retort 36. It has been found that a great saving or time and superiority of product result from this combined process and we have therefore applied for protection both on the process and the apparatus.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. sterilizing apparatus comprising means for protecting the open end of vessels containing sterile material, said means con" structed to carry condensed vapors rising lltlll n DU from the material away from the open end rial and constructed to carry such conden: of the vessels. sation away from the open end of the ves- 1 .2. sterilizing apparatus comprising means sels, and constructed to permit uninterfor protecting the open ends of vessels conrupted view of the vessels.

5 taining sterile material, means for moving In testimony whereof we hereby afiix our said vessels under said protective means, signatures. said first means being positioned to gather FRANCIS H. LANDRUM. the condensed vapors rising from the mate- ALBERT N. ORAMER. 

